A world record holder in the days of the bamboo pole, Earle Meadows achieved his greatest fame by winning the pole vault at the 1936 Olympic Games, but 1937 was perhaps his greatest year from a record standpoint. On May 8 at Stanford, Calif., Meadows and University of Southern California teammate Bill Sefton broke the world record when they cleared 4.48m/14 feet 8.50 inches, appropriately tying for first place. Three weeks later, they both bettered that mark with clearances of 4.55m/14-11. Since the standards couldn't be raised any higher, Meadows and his teammate lost their chance to become the first vaulters to clear 15 feet. Their performances while leading USC to three NCAA team titles earned Meadows and Sefton the nickname "Heavenly Twins." In 1935 and 1936, Meadows also shared the NCAA title with Sefton, and he tied Sefton for the 1935 AAU title. Meadows was equally as successful indoors, winning national titles in 1937, 1940 and 1941. In the latter meet, he set a world indoor best of 4.45m/14-7.